Barker encompasses South Australia along the Victorian border from Mount Gambier north to the Riverland and its population centres of Renmark, Loxton, Berri and Waikerie, extending westwards to the mouth of the Murray River and the towns of Angaston and Murray Bridge 75 kilometres to the east of Adelaide. It has existed since South Australia was first divided into single-member electorates in 1903, at all times encompassing the state’s south-eastern corner including Mount Gambier, Bordertown and Keith. From there it has generally extended either westwards to the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island or, as at present, northwards to the Riverland. The former territories were lost when Mayo was created with the expansion of parliament in 1984, but recovered from 1993 to 2004 as Mayo was drawn into Adelaide’s outskirts. The Riverland was accommodated by Angas prior to its abolition in 1977, and by Wakefield from 1993 to 2004. Barker’s present dimensions were established when South Australia’s representation was cut from twelve seats to eleven at the 2004 election, causing Barker to take back the Riverland from a radically redrawn Wakefield, while Mayo recovered the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.

The areas covered by Barker presently and in the past have long been safe for the conservatives, the Riverland last having had Labor representation when Albert Smith held Wakefield for a term after the 1943 landslide. Barker has never been in Labor hands, nor come close to doing so since territory in southern Adelaide was ceded to the new seat of Kingston in 1949. Archie Cameron held the seat for the Country Party from 1934 to 1940, having been effectively granted it after helping facilitate a merger of the state’s conservative forces as the Liberal Country League while serving as the Country Party’s state parliamentary leader. Cameron succeeded Earle Page as federal parliamentary leader in 1939 but was deposed after the election the following year, causing him to quit the party and align himself with the United Australia Party and then the Liberal Party, which has held Barker ever since. He was succeeded in Barker on his retirement in 1956 by Jim Forbes, who was in turn succeeded in 1975 by James Porter.

Porter was defeated for preselection in 1990 by Ian McLachlan, a former high-profile National Farmers Federation president whom some were touting as a future prime minister. He would instead serve only a single term as a cabinet minister, holding the defence portfolio in the first term of the Howard government, before retiring at the 1998 election. McLachlan’s successor was Patrick Secker, who led a generally low-profile parliamentary career before being unseated for preselection before the 2013 election. Despite endorsement from Tony Abbott and moderate factional powerbroker Christopher Pyne, Secker reportedly lost a local ballot to Mount Gambier lawyer Tony Pasin by 164 votes to 78, with a further 40 recorded for Millicent real estate agent and Wattle Range councillor Ben Treloar. Pasin picked up a 3.5% swing at the election and holds the seat with a margin of 16.5%.

Zoid
One year ago it was worth approx 211 billion less. Believe it or not that helps most Australians. The ups and downs inbetween are mainly affecting short term traders.
MB
Certain sectors of our economy have been cactus for a while. Some of the reasons are disappearing and others are stuck in political quagmire. If these impediments go then the ASX will record another major gain.

Zoid
Do you think that the govt would get any revenue from the 211 billion increase. Do you think that super holders might benefit.
Mb the retail sector has a rent problem and an unfair system that allows online to avoid our GST. Low interest rates are helping but without restructuring more will close.

Everyone with super has money in the share-market (unless their super is invested elsewhere) but little of the voting power of the super is controlled by ordinary super holders. Retail funds give no voting power to the super holders and even the industry funds, run only for the members, do not give their super holders votes for management. It is only self managed super and any non-industry mutual super funds (if they indeed exist) that do.

“The 2011 Tax Expenditure Statement estimates tax concessions on superannuation at approximately $32 billion in 2012-13. This is the second largest tax expenditure. Concessions on contributions are estimated at $16.5 billion and on superannuation earnings at $15.5 billion.”

665
I guess that’s a point that needs to be considered. It is a good thing for revenue if taxes are collected via share trading , business profit and other activities because the govt receives a larger share.

Zoid
I’m not talking about super. Super as you know is forced saving to remove the pension. Share sale, trading, hedge fund activity, mergers and acquisitions are taxed at either the income earners marginal rate or the 30% co tax rate. These tax rates bring in more revenue than the rate of paye tax for most Aussie wage earners. They therefore are good for govt coffers and help with paying for services.

Labor release investigation into School Kiddies Bonus showing that their School Kiddies Bribe was targeted at Labor seats

Can the Labor brains trust explain:
1. Why the Labor Party has been targeting Labor electorates with their school kiddies bonus
2. Why they thought it was a good idea to publicly announce they were targeting Labor electorates with their school kiddies bonus

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will launch his political year with a cost-of-living attack on the government, centring on its plan to cut the schoolkids bonus being doled out to more than 1 million families in mostly safe Labor electorates this week.

On Sunday, the opposition released analysis of Department of Social Services figures showing the electorates that most benefit from the schoolkids bonus are overwhelmingly held by Labor.
In NSW, the electorates with the most families claiming the bonus are clustered in western Sydney. The seat of Chifley, represented by Ed Husic, has more than 15,000 families receiving the payment. Blaxland, held by opposition communications spokesman Jason Clare, has more than 14,000 eligible families, as does the seat of Fowler, held by Chris Hayes.
Laurie Ferguson's seat of Werriwa has more than 12,000 families receiving the bonus, as does Watson, which is represented by manager of opposition business Tony Burke.

Labor has warned the government against contemplating privatisation of Australia Post, saying it would represent a broken promise.

Don’t know what good criticism will do. The Coalition doesn’t seem to think broken promises are important, although they felt differently when Labor was in govt. However, the Nationals rearing up to attack them MAY make a difference. I should imagine that a slap from Barnaby might carry a little weight.

Morning all and thanks BK. What to say abour Cori Bernardi? How do the SA Liberals so consistently send morons to the Senate? They also put Mary Jo Fisher there at the same time. Do they not do any candidate evaluations? Bernardi got the no.1 spot. Did they raffle it?

Personally I have no problem with privatising Australia Post. They are not an essential service in an electronic age, or a natural monopoly the way Telstra landlines are. If politicians, Labor and Liberal, better understood these principles, we would get better decisions.

It will affect services in the bush, but frankly I am getting quite tired of the amount of subsidy rural residents get. There are far more needy people in the poorer suburbs of our cities.

I sometimes wonder how many politicians on either side have any practical understanding of social justice principles or economic policy principles? Very few, I suspect.

in 2013 wind was the biggest contributor to electricity supply in Spain, just edging out nuclear power (21.1% to 21%). Overall, with hydro, nearly half of all Spain’s electricity came from renewables. In the past, it was claimed that gas was the beneficiary of wind (since it would be needed as back up, but gas usage for electricity in Spain fell by 34%in 2013 and coal fell by 27% and nuclear by about 8%. Electricity-related emissions in Spain fell by 23% in 2013.

About this blog

William Bowe is a doctoral candidate with the University of Western Australia’s Discipline of Political Science and International Relations. He has been running the electoral studies blog The Poll Bludger since January 2004, independently until September 2008 and thereafter with Crikey.